Thieves Kill Optometrist In Office

A South Side optometrist was shot to death Monday by two men who forced their way into his office.

Gordon Lawson Sr., 65, was shot to death and robbed by two men at about 4 p.m., in his office at 4643 S. Cottage Grove Ave., police said.

Lawson`s receptionist, Claudette McClain, also was robbed but she was not harmed. Authorities said they have no motive for the shooting but indicated the attackers appeared to have known Lawson, who has practiced for years at several locations on the South Side.

James Delaney, Wentworth Area Detective commander, said the two men entered the waiting area in the office and told the receptionist they wanted to see Lawson. No other patients were in the office, he said.

Delaney said that after the receptionist asked the nature of their business, one of the men kicked through a door and forced his way into the examining area where Lawson was working by kicking.

The second man, who was masked, then forced McClain into the back room as well, Delaney said.

Delaney said one of the men then shot Lawson once in the chest with a handgun. They robbed him of an undetermined amount of money and took $60 from McClain.

The two men reportedly fled into an alley across the street from the front of the office, and McClain called police.

Dr. Andrew Perez, an optometrist who said he knew Lawson through the Central City Optometric Society, a black professional organization, said Lawson practiced in the building for about a year following a move from an office at 527 E. 47th St.

Lawson was ``a person who was trying to do his job, and was dedicated in trying to serve the community,`` Perez said. ``He could have gone to a more affluent area, but he preferred to stay in the area where he thought he was needed.``